I visit the Goodwill stores frequently and have discovered many incredible items, but I have never been to the "Goodwill Bins". The bins are where unsold items from regular Goodwill stores end up, and the cost is tallied up by the pound. I've watched YouTube videos of people visiting the bins where they have found cool items at great prices, so I decided to try it out.
I ended up finding a wooden tray that was in good shape except for a piece missing on the bottom, which could be fixed easily.
In order to repair the bottom of the tray, I needed to shore it up so that I could use wood filler to eliminate the spaces. In this case, I used balsa wood. First, I measured the wood, then mitered the corners and glued the pieces on, securing them with a clamp. Next, I filled the space with wood filler. Once it dried, I sanded it smooth and finally painted the whole tray with a primer to prevent bleeding.
To add something special, I selected a beautiful decoupage paper to place in the bottom of the tray (all products will be listed at the end of the post). When I positioned the decoupage paper in the tray, I didn't like how the vase was cut off. Luckily, I had leftover pieces from another project where I had used the same decoupage paper. With these pieces, I was able to complete the vase. As I adjusted the paper for the vase, the flowers were out of sync. To correct this, I cut the flowers out and rearranged them to fit. Once everything was in place, I used craft glue to attach the paper. Initially, I was going to paint the background but decided to lay the extra pieces of the paper in a mosaic style. I finished by painting the tray with a lovely blue color that matched the decoupage paper.
I liked the piece, but it was a bit bright and needed to be toned down. I lightly stippled the surface with a moss-colored chalk paint. Once it was dry, I applied a diluted antique wax over the entire surface, wiping off the excess. To finish the tray, I applied two coats of water-based sealant.
This is the finished tray styled in my office. I made the right call to tone it down. It fits perfectly in the room without taking over.
Looking back, my first jaunt to the Goodwill Bins was not what I expected. It was loud and a bit overwhelming. But I am not one to give up on the first try. I went late in the day, so next time I'll go in the morning. I will let you know how it goes.
Products Used:
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